This is me :)

I am a language, art, and philosophy enthusiast: I believe these are the main keys to overcoming short-sighted cultural barriers. I do not settle for the world as it has been presented to us, nor do I believe in hegemonic standards. I would like to challenge my professional development with social and environmental issues in which designers are usually scarce. Let us not settle, and see where it leads us.

Ana Merla is a Design Engineer based in Boston, MA.

Ana Lucía Merla López is an Integral Designer with a diverse background in graphic, product, and strategic design. She is deeply passionate about circular, inclusive, and social design, exploring the intersections between these fields and public policy. Ana graduated with distinction from the Master’s in Design Engineering program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where her thesis focused on women’s health and rapid test menstrual diagnostics.

Before attending Harvard, Ana gained multidisciplinary experience in urban development, neuromarketing research, and consultancy, working across public, nonprofit, and private sectors for clients such as Heineken and Starbucks. She graduated as valedictorian from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico City, where her National Design Biennale award-winning thesis, "Access to Justice for People with Disabilities," was recognized for its innovative approach to social justice.

Ana Lucía is the recipient of several prestigious grants, including the Fulbright, JUMEX Foundation, and FONCA-CONACYT scholarships.

Resumée

Education

  • Harvard University Graduate School of Design
    Master in Design Engineering – Graduated with Distinction
    Thesis: Democratizing Health Access: Menstrual Blood as a Non-invasive Preventative Care Tool

  • Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana
    Bachelor in Integral Design – Valedictorian
    Thesis: Access to Justice for People with Sensory Impairments in Mexico

Professional Experience

  • Harvard Business School
    Teaching Fellow – Design Theory and Practice Course

  • MIT Educational Justice Institute
    Program Manager and Web Design Instructor

  • Laboratory for Design Technologies
    Multidisciplinary Design Lead + Research Associate

    • Led Open Zoning (2024 National Planning Conference Standout Project)

    • Integration Lead for Sidecar Homes (Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge)

  • FONATUR
    Project Manager and Visual Designer

  • Neural Research I.M.
    Senior Designer and Visual Consultant

  • MARAÑA DESIGN
    Founder / Design Strategist

  • WAHA (Non-profit)
    Co-founder / Design Strategist

Awards & Honors

  • Fulbright Scholar (2020 Cohort)

  • National Design Award (UN, 2020)

  • JUMEX Foundation Grantee

  • FONCA-CONACYT Grantee

  • MDE Directors’ Award, Harvard

  • Recipient of the University Merit Medal (2020)

Exhibitions & Panels

  • Our Artificial Nature Exhibition (2024)

  • Franz Mayer Museum Exhibition (2020)

  • Moderator, HarvardxDesign Panel (2023)

  • Panelist, Di-Integra Talks (2020)

Languages

  • Spanish: Native

  • English: Advanced Proficiency

  • Italian: Proficient

  • German: C1

  • French: Conversational

  • Mexican Sign Language: Basic